Videoton and Ferencváros extend lead over chasing pack to ten points

Újpest 2-1 Honvéd (1-0) 
Goalscorers: ÚJP: Tischler (22’), Windecker (61’); HON: Lanzafame (83’)

Patrik Tischler and József Windecker got the goals for Nebojša Vignević’s Újpest in a 2-1 against 4th place Honvéd at the Szusza Stadion, Davide Lanzafame’s counting for little as the Lilák move to within three points of their opponents as they rise to fifth in the table courtesy of a second successive win.

Tischler opened the scoring in the 22nd minute; Honvéd’s defence caught napping as he tucked home Nigerian midfielder’s Obinna Nwobodo’s cut-back. Both teams exchanged chances thereafter but the home side doubled their lead in the 61st minute as József Windecker’s speculative long-range shot was misjudged by Dávid Gróf.

Lanzafame did get a goal back for the visitors with seven minutes left to play, making space for himself before curling into the corner from 15 yards, but Újpest held on for another three points as their season appears to gain momentum.

Paks 0-2 Ferencváros (0-1) 
Goalscorers: Paintsil (4’), Moutari (93’)

Ferencváros chalked their 8th win in 9 matches with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win away to Paks that was bookended by goals from Joseph Paintsil and Amadou Moutari.

István Verpecz had already denied Tamás Priskin when Paintsil pounced to give Ferencváros the lead in the fourth minute, the Ghanaian teenager firing home from an Endre Botka cross. Paintsil came close not long after, whilst at the other end the Ferencváros defence kept any Paks threat at bay.

Substitute Moutari missed a golden opportunity to double Ferencváros’ lead in the 84th minute as he failed to convert from a Balázs Lovrencsics cross, but made up for that miss in injury time as he arrived in the box to meet a Fernando Gorriarán pass before drilling past Verpecz to put the match beyond any doubt.

Balmazújváros 2-1 Haladás (0-1) 
Goalscorers: BAL: Fekete (61’), Sigér (80’); HAL: Ramos (21’)

Balmazújváros won for the second consecutive match as they consigned new coach Michal Hipp to defeat in his first match as Haladás head coach.

Things had begun brightly for new coach Hipp as his side led at the break thanks to a goal from Brazilian forward Myke Ramos, the loanee from MTK punishing the home defence for indecision as he hooked the ball home following a Márió Németh free-kick in the 21st minute.

Balmazújváros came back strongly in the second half, Gábor Király being called into action on a number of occasions before the home side eventually levelled the scores in the 61st minute. Ádám Fekete was the scorer, heading past the former Hungary goalkeeper after Sándor Vajda’s free-kick had taken a wicked deflection.

The NB I newcomers scored what turned out to be the winning goal ten minutes from time, Dávid Sigér sweeping the ball home from just inside the box after Bachana Arabuli had slalomed through the Haladás defence. Balmazújváros are now five points clear of the relegation places in 10th place, 11th placed Haladás meanwhile haven’t won in seven attempts.

Puskás Akadémia 1-0 Diósgyőr (0-0) 
Goalscorer: Knežević (63’)

Josip Knežević scored his tenth of the season as Puskás Akadémia defeated Diósgyőr 1-0 at the Pancho Aréna in Felcsút.

Dániel Prosser almost gave the home side an eighth minute lead, Botond Antal deflecting his shot onto the post before clawing the ball to safety. Roland Ugrai, Gábor Eperjesi and former Puskás winger Zsolt Óvári all came close for Diósgyőr as the half wore on, Puskás Akadémia almost breaking the deadlock themselves as Prosser hit an upright from a Knežević cross in first-half injury time.

The winning goal came in the 63rd minute, Josip Knežević shooting high into the net from the edge of the box after good awareness from Antonio Perošević. The Croatian duo combined again to almost double their side’s lead moments later, but thereafter Diósgyőr continued to press for an equaliser, Újvári, Ugrai and Nikolaos Ioannidis all threatening. But Attila Pintér’s side held on for three valuable points.

Mezőkövesd 3-3 Vasas (1-1) 
Goalscorers: MEZ: Koszta (13’, 59’), Střeštík (65’); VAS: Burmeister (28’), Berecz (64’), Gaál (67’)

Bottom-of-the-table Mezőkövesd were pegged back three times by opponents Vasas in an entertaining 3-3 draw, as both sides’ long winless streaks continued.

Former Honvéd man Márk Koszta gave Mezőkövesd an early lead with an acrobatic finish, only for Felix Burmeister replied for Vasas in the 28th minute as he headed home Ádám Martin’s corner. The teams went in level at 1-1 at half-time, and after a period of nine second-half minutes in which four goals went in, the teams finished level at 3 apiece.

Koszta restored the home side’s lead in the 59th minute, reacting quickest after Ľuboš Kamenár had spilled Csanád Novák’s before three goals in four minutes brought the scores to 3-3. Vasas levelled five minutes later as Zsombor Berecz shooting low into the corner from the edge of the box, only for Marek Střeštík to give Mezőkövesd the lead for the third time just a minute later with a stunning first-time left-footed volley from distance. That lead lasted two minutes, Bálint Gaál slotting home from close-range as Vasas levelled yet again to complete the scoring.

Debrecen 2-5 Videoton (1-2) 
Goalscorers: DEB: Könyves (26’), T. Takács (92’); VID Šćepović (11’, 59’, 65’ pen), Nego (22’), Géresi (82’)

Serbian striker Marko Šćepović scored a hat-trick for Marko Nikolić’s Videoton as they powered their way to a comprehensive 5-2 victory over 3rd-place Debrecen at the Nagyerdei Stadion.

Šćepović opened the scoring in the 11th minute, slotting home after being set-up by Krisztián Géresi. Eleven minutes later the lead was doubled, Loïc Nego rounding Sándor Nagy after being put through by Attila Fiola. Norbert Könyves replied for Debrecen four minutes later as he latched on to a quickly taken János Ferenczi free-kick, Videoton going in 2-1 up at the break.

Šćepović restored the visitors’ two goal lead just before the hour, again Géresi the provider, and just six minutes later he completed his hat-trick from the spot to put Vidi 4-1 up. Géresi added a fifth goal eight minutes before the end, cutting inside and curling the ball past Nagy, and although Tamás Takács scored with a deflected effort in injury time after Videoton failed to clear, the final score of 5-2 was testimony to Videoton’s superior finishing.